


Advent Ficlets

by notquiteascrazy



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Advent Calendar, Advent Calendar Drabble, Background Simon Lewis/Jace Wayland, Candy Canes, Chairman is a menace, Christmas Carols, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Lights, Crack, First Christmas, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, In which the author describes her personal mulled wine recipe in too much detail, M/M, Malec Discord Server, Mistletoe, Mulled wine, Seasonal Drinks, Some of these are incredibly soft, Tags to be added, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, alternate lyrics, chairman meow - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:15:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 4,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27843589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notquiteascrazy/pseuds/notquiteascrazy
Summary: A series of Ficlets (starting out as drabbles) based on Advent Challenge promptsUpdated through December
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Isabelle Lightwood/Maia Roberts, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis & Jace Wayland, Simon Lewis/Jace Wayland
Comments: 76
Kudos: 44





	1. Day One: Candy Cane

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hoping to do most of the prompts, but life in December is chaos so we'll see how many I managed to write.

Alec entered the loft to the sound of cheesy pop songs blaring out at full blast. He grinned to himself, his husband really did love Christmas.

Magnus was dancing around the lounge in his baggy Christmas sweater decorated with holly and miniature Santas. If he didn’t find Magnus’ joy so captivating, he’d almost be sad that the clothing prevented Alec from being able to appreciate his husband’s physique as he twirled around the Christmas Tree. That certainly hadn’t been there when he had left for patrol earlier that evening.

Magnus, hearing him approaching, span around and fixed Alec with a sultry look as he sang into the candy cane he was wielding like a microphone:

“ _All I want for Christmas is you,”_

Striding across the room, Alec swept him up in a hug and kissed his husband hello, savouring the sweet, sticky taste of peppermint on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/notquiteascrazy) & also [Tumblr](http://notquiteascrazy.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Want to join the fun? Head on over to the [Malec Discord Server](https://discord.gg/5nBgEp8) where all the prompts can be found
> 
> Happy holiday season 💚💚💚


	2. Day Two: Mistletoe

Magnus hung the final ornament on the tree which had taken over most of their balcony. Stepping back to ponder his handiwork, he stroked the stubble adorning his chin gently.

“Hmmm, I think that’s done!” He turned with a grin, eyes sparkling in the evening light. “Our first Christmas as husbands is already shaping up to be beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful,” Alec mused, “Though you do appear to have missed one decoration.”

“I did? Did the Chairman steal something while I wasn’t looking?” Magnus turned, eyes scanning the floor and peering into the empty decoration boxes.

“No Magnus, it’s right here.”

Turning back to his husband, Magnus couldn’t help but smile softly at Alexander, holding a small sprig of mistletoe, fastened with a glittering red ribbon, just above their heads.

“Ahh of course,” Magnus stepped in close, pressing his body against Alec’s and gently tilted his husband’s chin down for a kiss, “how foolish of me.”

Alec grinned back at him, marvelling in the simple joy of the moment.


	3. Day Three: Snowflake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is definitely more ficlet than drabble but it was begging to be written 🥰

They said goodbye to their friends outside the Hunters Moon, hugging everyone goodbye and wishing them a happy Christmas. They’d see them all tomorrow for the big “family” Christmas dinner too but they were all tipsy and in good spirits so the goodbyes took a while.

Eventually, they were alone again, Alec rubbing his hands together to stave off some of the cold.

“If it’s going to be this cold, it could at least snow. I can’t remember the last time we had a white Christmas,” he grumbled.

“I know. That is the one downfall of New York, it hardly ever snows here on Christmas,” Magnus agreed. “Do you trust me?” he asked out of the blue.

“Of course I do,” Alec’s eyebrows knit together as he scanned Magnus’ face for any clue as to what he meant.

“Good, then come with me.” Magnus grabbed for Alec with his right hand, slotting their fingers together and making Alec’s heart skip a beat. Even after all this time, his husband’s touch still sparked like electricity. With his left hand, Magnus waved a portal into existence.

At Magnus’ encouraging tug Alec grinned and stepped through the portal with his husband, arriving not in their loft but in the middle of a forest instead.

The air was cold and dry, their breath misting in front of their faces. Alec shivered and tugged his coat tighter around him as he took in his surroundings. Fir trees stood tall and proud, their pines dusted with white. The ground around them was layered in deep, powdery snow with more falling gently from the sky.

While it was darker than New York City, there were stars glowing in the sky providing enough brightness for them to see by. Alec grinned up at the sky, catching a snowflake on the tip of his tongue and giggling.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Somewhere you can have a white Christmas,” Magnus responded cryptically, wrapping his arms around his husband and reaching up on tiptoes to kiss him softly on the cheek.


	4. Day Four: Lights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a request in the comments for more of Chairman Meow and who am I to disagree?  
> These were meant to be tiny drabbles but they seem to be getting longer little by little...

Soft piano music filled the loft, the evening sky outside the window dark. Inside was warm and inviting by comparison. Magnus laid with his head in Alec’ lap, the tall Shadowhunter relaxed with his feet up on the coffee table and his arms outstretched across the back of the sofa.

The only light was the glow of the strings of white lights adorning the Christmas tree creating a soft glow that smoothed out the tired lines around Alec’s eyes and lessened the dark bags that normally showed the pressure the young Institute Head was under. Magnus was just glad for this moment, the two of them curled up together and able to forget the stresses of the Shadow World for a few quiet hours.

A delicate jangle let him know Chairman Meow was awake from his nap and moving around looking for attention. Magnus lazily drifted his arm down below the floor, rubbing his fingers together in the cat’s eyeline to demonstrate that he was willing to pet the spoilt creature. Chairman ignored him and instead made a beeline for the tree, where earlier that day Magnus had carefully positioned a few presents neatly wrapped in brown paper and tied with string under the branches. Magnus always found a tree looked even more exciting once presents started to appear underneath it - he loved the holidays.

Chairman nosed at one parcel in particular, pushing it around with his paws his energy levels increasing.

“Yes, that is for you, you menace!” Magnus muttered, his eyes half-closed in contentment.

“Hmmm?” Alec responded, gently carding his fingers through Magnus’ hair.

“Nothing, just Chairman,” Magnus gestured lazily towards the tree before sitting up sharply. “Chairman, no!” he commanded a moment too late.

The cat in a fit of excitement had started to bounce up and had clawed at one of the strings of fairy lights, tangling into them and pulling down on the tree,

A shower of pine needles fell around the cat as he rolled onto his back, tugging on the strings to pull more of the lights from the tree.

Magnus jumped to his feet, using a quick wave of magic to extract the lights from the mischievous cat’s paws and re-affix them to the tree. A second flourish of his wrist sent the present that had captivated Chairman flying to the very back of his closet.

“Probably shouldn’t have got him presents with catnip in them,” he mused relaxing back onto the sofa.

“Probably,” Alec agreed softly with a grin, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead.


	5. Day Five: Seasonal Drinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for mentions of Alcohol, specifically making mulled wine
> 
> Is this a ficlet or is this just a mulled wine recipe? I'm not really sure anymore!

“Aren’t you going to measure that?” Alec asked, peering over Magnus’ shoulder as the warlock poured the brown sugar into the cast iron pan already waiting on the hob.

“This isn’t a complex potion Alexander, it’s mulled wine,” Magnus murmured, pressing a kiss into Alec’s cheek as he reached over for the nutmeg and grater. “Make yourself useful,” he teased, handing both to Alec.

“But how much?” The Shadowhunter asked, shooting a perplexed look at the items in his hand.

“Some,” was the only response he got.

Magnus proceeded to half two clementines, squeezing the juice over the sugar, before slicing open a vanilla pod and scraping the contents into the pan. He threw in a cinnamon stick before pouring just enough wine to cover the ingredients and setting the burner to a low heat.

Alec finished grating the nutmeg and wiped his hands gently on his dark jeans before once again peering over Magnus’ shoulder, wrapping his arms around the Warlock from behind.

Magnus hummed contentedly, leaning into the touch and stirring gently at the mixture in the pan. “The goal is,” he explained, voice low, “to create a syrup to bring out the fullest flavour of the spices without risking burning off all the alcohol which would happen if we added all the wine now. Plus, it adds a delightful caramelly undertone that really adds to the overall flavour.”

Alec didn’t respond, just settled his head on Magnus’ shoulder and stroked softly at his side through the silky material of his shirt and observed as the sugar dissolved and the mixture thickened up. The syrup filled the kitchen with a warm, fragrant smell that settled around Alec like a comforting blanket.

Magnus leaned away from him momentarily to reach for the wine bottle, causing Alec to keen at the sudden loss of warmth. Magnus quickly returned to his position though, pouring the remaining wine into the pan and stirring to distribute the syrup. He threw in the clementine halves from earlier as well as some smaller items which Alec didn’t recognise.

“What are those?” he asked curiously.

“Star anise, cloves, bay leaves,” Magnus ticked off on his fingers. “You can add them earlier if you prefer but I find they can be a bit overbearing in flavour.”

Magnus stirred the mixture gently for a few minutes, warming it through gently.

“I still can’t believe that you’ve never had mulled wine before. Everyone has their own particularities with making it, but I think you’ll like it.”

“It certainly smells good,” Alec agreed. “The only _festive_ drink I’ve ever tried is eggnog and well…” He scrunched up his nose trying to find a way to describe his feelings on eggnog but failing, “it’s a no from me.”

Magnus chuckled, summoning two mugs from the cupboard and grabbing a ladle.

“Well, let’s see how this goes then.”

Alec blew gently on the surface of the steaming liquid before taking a sip, eyes displaying only a hint of apprehension over the rim of the mug. An experimental sip turned into a bigger gulp and his hum of approval filled Magnus with a warm sense of satisfaction.


	6. Day Six: Vacation

“Go,” Izzy instructed, practically pushing Alec out the door of his office and dragging him towards the front door of the Institute. “You deserve the break, Alec.”

“But I have reports due to the clave on Thursday,” he complained, trying to wriggle out of the grip she had on his upper arm.

“And it’s Monday now. More importantly, it’s Christmas Eve and you have a Magnus waiting at home for you,” she pointed out. “I know you’re a workaholic, Magnus too. But it’s Christmas. Take a break, both of you. Spend some time together. The admin will still be here when you get back.”

Alec sighed. His sister was possibly the only person more stubborn than he was, this probably wasn’t an argument he was going to win.

“You’ve literally never taken a vacation, Alec. Go. Now. Take a few days off and enjoy your Christmas with Magnus.” she gave him one more shove towards the exit.

“Fine, fine. I’m leaving.” He threw his arms up in defeat and made his way out of the institute into the cold New York evening.


	7. Day Seven: Bells

“ _Jingle bells, Alec smells, Magnus laid an egg,_ ” Jace sang tunelessly, his beer spilling as he rocked from side to side in time to his little tune.

“You’re hilarious, you know that right?” Alec said flatly, glaring at his parabatai over the rim of his own beer glass.

“What? You do smell.” Jace wrinkled his nose up, “Especially after training.”

“Whatever. Anyway, you’re talking nonsense. Why would Magnus lay an egg?”

“I don’t know,” Jace shrugged and slammed his glass down on the table, causing liquid to slop over the side. “Simon,” he yelled, “Why would Magnus lay an egg?”

Simon slid back into the booth they were occupying at the back of the Hunters Moon, stealing Jace’s drink and taking a swig. “What?”

“Why would Magnus lay an egg?” Jace asked again, squinting at the vampire.

“I have no idea what you’re on about at all?” Simon explained, as baffled by all of this as Alec was.

“You taught me the dumb song…” Jace explained, “You know ‘ _Jingle bells, Alec smells, Magnus laid an egg.’_ ”

Simon burst out laughing, his eyes watering and face turning bright red with mirth.

“Jace, that song is about Batman and Robin normally,” Simon tried to explain, sucking in gasps of air as his body still shook with suppressed laughter. “ _Robin_ is also a type of bird. You know? Something that would actually lay an egg. Of course your version is nonsense.”


	8. Day Eight: Presents

“Uncle Magnus,” Madzie began in her best pleading voice. She had her hands clasped in front of her, pigtails bobbing as she swayed from side to side. She looked up at him with big, brown eyes pleading, “Will you get me a unicorn for Christmas? I asked Mom but she said no.”

“Catarina said no, did she?” Magnus mused, crouching down to Madzie’s level and meeting her eyes.

“Yes, she said I wouldn’t remember to feed it and that it would die.” Madzie’s eyes widened further, watery and sad.

“Did she now?” Magnus bit his cheek to hold back a snort. Of course Catarina would lie to her ward. It was especially hard with young warlocks ever since the 20th century. Technological advances meant they had far more exposure to mundane culture and more specifically, mundane interpretations of the Shadow World. It always led to tricky explanations. While, of course, all the legends were true, many of them were warped by mundanes. And usually, in such a way to make them less terrifying. Unicorns were one such example.

Mundanes painted unicorns as mythical, pure creatures that glittered in the moonlight. That description wasn’t wholly inaccurate. They did at least glitter in the moonlight, but they were also creatures of darkness. Their coats were inky black and their manes flowing flames that burnt red hot. Their horns were harder than diamond and grew to a fine point making them a deadly weapon. They were certainly not a suitable pet for a seven year old warlock.

Of course, Madzie likely wouldn’t realise this - she would be thinking of the mundane version. In fact, she was probably thinking of that fluffy toy unicorn from the movie they’d watched together last time he and Alec had babysat. But it wasn’t worth the risk of trying to buy her the toy and it going wrong if she had genuinely meant a real, live unicorn. Upset young Warlocks having tantrums could lead to some interesting magical outbursts to say the least.

Instead, he parroted Cat’s explanation, “Your mom is right sweetheart. Unicorns really do take a lot of looking after. And they have very demanding diets.” _Like the souls of murderers and adulterers,_ he thought to himself. “Maybe in a few years when you’ve got better control of your powers and are more able to look after a pet?” he suggested, attempting to keep the peace.

Madzie crossed her arms over her chest, huffing out a clearly unimpressed breath and narrowing her eyes.

“How about ice cream?” Magnus asked as a peace offering.

Madzie reached out and grabbed the hand he offered her, pulling him towards the door. At least it was easy to get back on her good side while she was this age!


	9. Day Nine: Naughty List

“Simon said I’m on his Naughty List,” Jace declared smugly as they made their way through the dark streets of lower Manhattan.

Alec rolled his eyes, not even sure what Jace was referring to but certain he didn’t want to know either. Sadly, his parabatai decided to expand on his statement.

“He didn’t exactly explain, but I assume it basically means I’m one of the naughtiest people he’s got into bed. And naughty means good,” the blond puffed out his chest.

Between them, Clary burst out laughing causing Jace to pause and turn to her, an indignant look on his face.

“Jace,” she stumbled out between fits of giggles, “in what context did Simon tell you this?”

“Context? Why does that matter? All that matters is that he likes how _naughty_ I am,” he punctuated the sentence with a wink.

“If you’re on his naughty list Jace, it means you’re not getting a present this Christmas. It means you were bad.”

Alec snorted and elbowed his parabatai in the ribs, “At least if he’s not getting you anything you won’t feel as bad for giving him socks.”

“Hey,” Jace exclaimed, rubbing his hand against his tender ribs, “no need to be like that. Wait, how did you know I got him socks?”

“You’ve given every one of us a pair of socks for Christmas for as long as I can remember, Jace. You’re not exactly original.” Alec shook his head at his parabatai’s offended look before checking his watch. Sun up and the end of patrol could not come quick enough.


	10. Day Ten: Cookies

Izzy arrived at the Hunter’s Moon twenty minutes before closing time. Ordering herself a drink she wandered through the packed bar and found a group of Seelies to chat to. Losing herself in the conversation it wasn’t long before she heard the bell behind the bar chiming and Maia’s voice calling out clearly “ _Alright, it’s closing time. Get out of here, the lot of you.”_ Within minutes, the entire bar had cleared, Downworlders and Shadowhunters alike knew better than to ignore Maia’s command. 

Izzy grabbed a couple of empty glasses as she wove between the tables and made her way over to the bar, giving her girlfriend a quick kiss hello.

“You didn’t have to come meet me here,” Maia said, wiping down the bar with a rag. “And you certainly don’t have to help me close up,” she gestured at the glasses Izzy had started to gather at the end of the bar.

“Nonsense,” Izzy replied, stacking another table's worth of glasses ready to be cleaned. “The quicker you get done here, the quicker I get to take you home.”

Maia grinned at her across the room and redoubled her cleaning efforts, trying to hurry in her tasks.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I made you cookies!” Izzy exclaimed, handing over a tin foil wrapped parcel. “I know how busy things get here this close to Christmas, and with the full moon coming up tomorrow too, you could probably use the sugar!”

“Thanks babe,” Maia pulled Izzy in for a tight hug before quickly turning her attention to the gift. Her thoughtful girlfriend had been right, she did need the sugar. She’d been short staffed all night and hadn’t had a chance to grab a decent break, she was starving. “Choc chip?” she asked, inspecting the cookies in front of her.

Stuffing one in her mouth, she set about stacking the stools on top of the nearby tables ready for the morning cleaners. Her productivity was interrupted as soon as the first crumb of cookie hit her tongue though. Choking slightly, she spit the cookie back into her hand, wincing apologetically.

“Errr, babe. I think you used salt instead of sugar.”


	11. Day Eleven: Cuddles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got behind again, ooops!  
> I'm going to attempt to not only catch up but also write a few days ahead too!

Alec threw a final punch at the heavy bag chained to the loft ceiling, ignoring the sweat trickling down his back. At this time of year he was grateful Magnus had created this space for him, saving the need to drag himself through the cold and miserable weather daily to the Institute to train and keep his fitness up. OK, Magnus would always offer to make him a portal but he felt cheeky asking sometimes.

Grabbing his water bottle from the bench by the door, he drained it almost in one gulp before proceeding to remove the wraps from his hands. He wiped a towel over his face to remove the worst of the perspiration before flicking off the lights and heading towards the shower.

When he’d gone to train a few hours ago, he’d left Magnus on the sofa translating a particularly irksome text from Sumerian for a client so it surprised him now to see the living area dark and silent. The sun had set less than an hour earlier, and the lights of the city filtering in through the tall windows were only enough to cast deep shadows over the room.

Soft snuffling breaths emanated from the sofa where he could just see the tips of Magnus’ hair poking out over the plump cushioning of the arm. He smiled to himself and slowed his steps to avoid any unnecessary noise. This close to Christmas, Magnus had been working overtime helping clients with everything from enchanting jewellery to locating rare ingredients for gifts, he was long overdue a break.

Alec crept forward and flicked the switch on the Christmas tree lights, bathing the room in a soft, yellow glow. Turning, he had to bite back a coo at the sight of Magnus curled up with his knees tucked close to his chest and arms wrapped around Chairman Meow. The fluffy cat perfectly cradled in the space in front of Magnus’ chest.

He leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to Magnus’ temple. He’d let them sleep a while longer, at least until he’d had a chance to shower. Then maybe he could talk his husband into taking the night off curling up on the sofa with take-away and a movie - that’s if Chairman Meow was willing to share the Magnus cuddles!


	12. Day Twelve: Ugly Sweater

“What on earth are you wearing?”

Simon jumped at the exclamation, shooting Clary an apologetic glance before turning to greet his boyfriend.

“Hi Jace, nice to see you too. Yes, I also missed you. I hope you had a good day,” he reached out to offer Jace a hug only to be pushed away as the blonde Shadowhunter eyed him up and down.

“Seriously, what are you wearing?” he asked again, thinly veiled judgement colouring his tone.

“What, this?” Simon tugged nervously at the hem of the hand-knitted sweater he was wearing. If he was honest, the combination of mustard yellow, brown and olive green wools wasn’t the most appetising but the wool was soft and the sweater warm. “My bubbie Helen knitted it for me. I couldn’t not wear it.”

“You definitely could have not worn it. In fact, I think it would have been better if you left the house shirtless than wearing that,” Jace wrinkled his nose up.

“Jace, don’t be a dick.” Clary scolded, smacking him on the shoulder to punctuate her statement. Jace yelped at the sudden impact, drawing the attention of the other Shadowhunters milling around the ops room.

“Well she was already hurt enough that I was missing family night when she’s only visiting for a week. And then when she found out it was to see my boyfriend… Well she said ‘ _you could just bring that nice young man here instead’_ and I panicked. At least by wearing the sweater she’s not _too_ angry with me.” Simon rubbed at the back of his neck, avoiding the curious glances of the people around them.

“ _Nice young man_ ,” Clary snorted. “You can never, ever introduce her to Jace!”

“Hey, I can do the meet the family thing,” he defended, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Sure you can,” Simon smirked, pressing a kiss to Jace’s cheek in apology before tugging on his arm until he could link hands with him. “So, dinner?”


	13. Day Thirteen: Decorating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo, I wrote this ages ago and apparently forgot to post it?!  
> Ooooops?

Catarina couldn’t help but giggle at the hot chocolate moustache Madzie was sporting. This was their first Christmas together and she was determined to make it special.

“I miss my nana,” Madzie had cried on her the night before. She’d then proceeded to tell Cat about how she remembered the previous Christmas and all the colours and the glitter and the lights. Iris Rouse may have committed many crimes, but she’d given Madzie a truly special memory and while Cat would never be able to replace that (nor would she want to) she had wanted to create their own special memories to build on that.

Cat had immediately set about arranging cover for her evening shift and they’d spent the day going from shop to shop, choosing their favourite ornaments and having very serious discussions about how best to prepare their home for Christmas. They’d come home with arms full of bags ready for the fun part.

Cat had conjured a tall tree whose top branches almost brushed the ceiling and that filled the flat with the scent of fresh pine needles. Once Cat had spelled the lights into place and they’d carefully positioned each ornament and bauble, they created piles of fake snow that sat along the windowsills and clung to the tips of the tree’s branches.

Madzie spent an hour sat cross-legged on the floor, tongue poking out in concentration as she carefully cut out a sizable pile of paper snowflakes which Cat then enchanted to float in the air above their heads, spinning in place.

Finally, only the most important task remained - the star for the top. Very solemnly, she crouched down to Madzie’s level, holding the giant, glittery object almost reverently.

“Would you like to do the finishing touch?” she offered.

Madzie grinned up at her, displaying the gap where her front tooth had fallen out just a week earlier. She grabbed for the star before pointing to the top of the tree, sending it floating up until it rested on the very top branch.

“Thank you,” the small girl whispered quietly, looking up through her eyelashes at their first Christmas Tree as a family.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/notquiteascrazy) & also [Tumblr](http://notquiteascrazy.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Want to join the fun? Head on over to the [Malec Discord Server](https://discord.gg/5nBgEp8) where all the prompts can be found
> 
> Happy holiday season 💚💚💚


End file.
